How a Kentucky hemp law led to people getting high off delta-8 THC

• Delta-8, sometimes described as “marijuana lite” or “weed lite,” can be indirectly synthesized from hemp, a cannabis plant now legal throughout the U.S.
• The delta-8 business bloomed from an unforeseen loophole thanks to a law federally legalizing hemp, a cannabis plant with very little delta-9 THC, that Sen. Mitch McConnell helped pass.
• Delta-8 can be indirectly derived from hemp, and the way the 2018 law was written opened the door for businesses to make and sell it.

While politicians debate whether to legalize medical marijuana in Kentucky, a lesser-known product that gets people similarly high is flourishing in the state.

And it’s already legal.

Delta-8 THC — a chemical almost identical to the delta-9 THC in marijuana that drives the mental high people get — is being sold in edibles and vapes in shops across the commonwealth with minimal regulation.

It can be sold to anyone, theoretically even children, at the seller’s discretion.

A huge reason for the relative absence of regulation: This niche market emerged unexpectedly and lacks federal oversight, leaving officials in states like Kentucky to decide what to do.